Azelma Rising
by Darci the Thespian
Summary: Azelma hopes to create a new start for herself in America.
1. The Guerrettes

**A/N: The Thénardiers are technically speaking in French when they're talking to each other. When they're talking to Americans, they'll be speaking English and French (with translations provided by RainWillMakeTheFlowersGrow). **

"We are no longer the Thénardiers," Azelma's father said, two days after they had walked away from Marius' house. "In America, we shall be the Guerrettes! We are Monsieur Guerrette and his daughter, Gulnare Guerrette."

Azelma made a face. She didn't want to be known as Gulnare in America. She took a deep breath, "Père, why can't I be Azelma in America?"

Thénardier scowled, "because we have to change our names to protect our identities! We don't want anyone to recognize us!"

"Where are the ships to America?" Azelma asked.

"Le Havre," Thénardier said. "The passage to America is 120 to 150 francs. With Marius giving us 20,000 francs, that leaves us 19,850 francs for America."

_Gulnare Guerrette is a dreadful name, _Azelma thought, but didn't say anything else.

"Do you have your papers?" Thénardier asked Azelma. Azelma nodded and put her hand in her pocket. Inside was a small paper identifying her as a French citizen, so she could leave. Thénardier had two new papers for America hidden away. These papers were forged, and had the name Guerrette instead of Thénardier.

They made their way to the port at La Havre. The carriage ride was bumpy and the carriage itself was falling apart. Azelma remembered the beautiful carriages at the wedding. The dresses were beautiful, the flowers were beautiful, the whole wedding was beautiful. Azelma smiled as she thought of the beautiful gowns. As a kid, Éponine and she had a couple pretty dresses. Remembering Éponine sent a pang through Azelma's heart. She had no idea what happened to her sister or her brother. Eight months went by with no news, so she came to the conclusion that they had died. Azelma remembered Éponine taking boys' clothes and slipping out the night of June 4th. _Did she go to the insurrection? _Azelma thought.

_Azelma sat on the ruined bed, listening to the sounds of fighting. Her father had left a little bit ago, probably to go down to the sewers. Azelma never wanted to go down to the sewers. Azelma was all alone in the small house. She got up and paced. It was warm out, and the ruined window brought in gusts of warm air. Azelma's stomach growled and she sighed. She was starving, but the streets were dangerous. It looked like she'll have to go without food for a day or two, until her father gets back._

_Thénardier stumbled in a couple days later, grinning. He smelled awful, but Azelma was used to it. He drew out a piece of ruined coat and exclaimed how this was going to help him later on, he knew it. He also managed to get some money. Azelma ran out and bought bread for her and wine for her father, at his request. The streets were mostly empty. The stores were closed, but with some begging, they quickly gave her what she needed. Curious, Azelma wandered down the street. She knew she was nearing the site of the fighting when she stepped in a puddle of blood. Azelma glanced down the street, which was littered with dead bodies. A couple police officers were walking around the dead bodies. Azelma didn't want to be seen, so she quickly ran back to their apartment._

Azelma drifted off to sleep, dreaming of weddings and blood-filled streets. The Thénardiers got closer to La Havre. Thénardier woke her up to inform her that they were stopping at an inn for the night. As Azelma followed her father into the inn, she glanced up at the starry sky. She hoped that her new life in America will be better. No hunger, no coldness, no broken hands, no more people dying. Just her father and her, together.


	2. Journey

They got up early to get to La Havre on time. Azelma slept in the carriage, since she didn't have a good sleep that night. Thénardier was on the edge of his seat, waiting to get to La Havre. _These are my last moments as Azelma, _she thought. _Once I'm aboard the ship, I'm Gulnare. I don't want to be Gulnare. I want to keep being Azelma. Éponine would never allow herself to be called Gulnare._ Azelma got off the carriage and followed her father to the officials. She wished she was as strong as Éponine, who would disobey their father with no fear in her eyes. Azelma handed her papers over to the official, and waited patiently for them to finish.

Thénardier and Azelma managed to successfully get on the ship with no major conflicts. They went over to one side and stayed there as the ship became more and more crowded. Finally, the ship took off, sailing the short path through the channel to England. Once at England, more people boarded. The ship took some more people as well as people from Wales and Scotland. After a short stop at Ireland, the trek across the Atlantic began.

A man carrying a bunch of bags tripped while getting on board, and the bags went rolling. Azelma hesitantly picked one up and gave it back to him. The man smiled and stuck out his hand for a shake. Thénardier grinned and shook it.

"Bonjour, nous sommes des immigrés...vous ne parlez pas le français** (Hello, we are French immigrants from...you don't speak French)**," he said, when the man looked confused. Thénardier cleared his throat. His English was a bit rusty, "I am Guerrette. This is my daughter, Gulnare."

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Hugh," he grinned. "So, first time to America?"

"Yes," Thénardier nodded, "we will live there."

Hugh laughed, "Does your daughter know English?"

"No," Thénardier shook his head.

"She should probably learn," Hugh said, "it'll be easier for her. A tutor won't be too expensive."

Thénardier nodded and glanced at Azelma. She was staring into the water, having lost interest in the conversation she couldn't understand.

Hugh cleared his throat and Azelma turned back around. Hugh smiled, "Hi Gulnare."

Azelma tried not to flinch at the sound of that name. She had to become accustomed to being called Gulnare. She reciprocated the smile, "Bonjour Monsieur."

Thénardier turned to Hugh, "Do you know a tutor?"

"No, sorry," Hugh shook his head.

Thénardier kept talking with Hugh about America, trying to get as much information as possible. Azelma stared down into the water. "Dauphin! Dauphin!" Azelma pointed into the water. A sliver of blue-ish gray was shown in the water. Azelma grinned and watched the dolphins race alongside the ship.


	3. Ellis Island

"We're nearing New York," Hugh told them. Azelma leaned over the side of the boat to see New York. It just looked like a huge piece of land to her. She coughed into the air and cleared her throat. She didn't feel too well, but just dismissed it. Azelma was used to it from the streets and the lack of food.

"Ah, New York," Thénardier grinned and got out their papers as they sailed into the dock. Azelma held onto her paper tightly. They didn't go to the huge piece of land; instead they had docked into a smaller island.

"Ellis Island," Hugh explained, seeing the confused look on her face.

They were all herded out of the ship, and were split up to be grouped with their nationality. Thénardier and Azelma had to wait in the overcrowded room, as they got closer to customs. Finally, they stepped up to the officer.

"Papers," he said, and they willingly handed him the papers. "Mister Guerrette and his daughter, Gulnare?" he confirmed. Thénardier nodded.

"Do you know English?" the man asked.

"Yes, Monsieur," Thénardier said.

He turned to Azelma, "does your daughter know English?"

"No," Thénardier said. He took a deep breath to tell a sad sob story, but the man shushed him.

"If you successfully pass through customs, go up north to New England," he said, "there are dame schools which she should be enrolled in. They teach English, so it will be good for her. How much money do you have?"

"19,850 francs," Thénardier said.

"Good," the man said. "Alright, move on to the health inspection."

Thénardier nodded to Azelma, and they took their papers and headed to the health inspection. Thénardier cleared it and waited for Azelma.

"Mister Guerrette," Thénardier turned to see a nurse walking over to him. "Your daughter has a slight cold and a cough. Her sinuses also seem to be infected."

"So?" Thénardier asked, crossing his arms. He was impatient to get past the immigration stage.

The nurse sighed, "She is sick and cannot enter New York until she gets better."

"What does she have?" Thénardier asked.

"Catarrh."


	4. Getting better

Azelma woke up in a smelly hospital bed. The hospital was crowded and filled with people coughing and puking. Her nose felt stuffy and her throat hurt. She coughed a little, and a nurse gave her some water.

For two more days, Azelma was in the hospital. For most of the time, she people-watched. There was a large variety of people in the hospital. A couple of the patients weren't so lucky, and had died. Azelma always felt uncomfortable when the nurses would put the sheet over them and get the body out of there. She remembered when she was a girl; Éponine and she were taken care of by a well-trained doctor. Then they went to Paris, lived under a bridge, and had to just suck it up whenever they got sick or hurt. Azelma self-consciously traced the scars on her right hand and wrist.

_It was snowing outside, and inside proved little warmth. The fire was put out and Azelma was forced to punch a hole in the window. The sharp and ragged edges of the glass cut her and she held her bleeding hand to her chest. Her mother went over to her, and her father hastily wrapped it up, too concerned over the philanthropist to really care. _

_When the philanthropist and his daughter did come, Azelma could see pity in their eyes. The girl, vaguely familiar, went over and took a look at her hand. She was nice and talked to Azelma quietly, telling her that it would get better._

_And Azelma remembered the poor little girl her family got all those years ago. And how that girl's life did get better, much better._

Maybe now Azelma's life would get better. She yawned and coughed some more, before drifting back to sleep.

When she was released from the Hospital, her dad just glared at her as they got on the boat, "You feel better, I hope."

Azelma nodded, "Much better," she said quietly.

"Ah, here comes New York," Thénardier grinned as the boat docked.

Azelma smiled softly as she stepped onto New York. Her life was going to get better, she could feel it.


	5. New York and New England

New York was crowded and busy. Azelma stuck close to her father as they walked through the crowd. Thénardier walked with purpose, knowing he'll have to build up a reputation.

"Where are we headed?" Azelma asked him.

"New England," Thénardier said. "You need schooling."

Azelma nodded quickly. She wanted to learn English; it would be fun and helpful in America. Of course, she didn't understand the "states" and "territories" of the United States and the fact that they're independent, yet all a part of the same country.

Thénardier and Azelma got a ride in one of the stagecoaches. The journey up to Boston took a day and a half. They rode with company, although it was in silence. Every 40 miles, they would transfer to a new pair of horses.

"So strange, those weak horses," Thénardier muttered.

A man, who apparently knew French, laughed, "Ah, well it's less expensive, less dangerous, and much faster than before." His wife nodded and grinned.

Thénardier grinned back, "Bonjour, I am Guerrette and this is my daughter, Gulnare."

"Welcome to America," the man tipped his hat, "A beautiful country. Of course, we share it. Not only with each other, but with the Indians and our slaves."

"I haven't seen any slaves," Thénardier said, his mind moving fast with the information.

"New York abolished slavery a while ago, as did most of the North," the man said. "We moved down south, where the slave trade is still going on. I have family up north though, so we're visiting them."

"Ah," Thénardier said. He continued talking to the couple, while Azelma just looked outside. They had stopped at an inn for the night.

Azelma glanced out the window to the stars. They seemed rotated, but still looked amazing. Azelma closed her eyes, _Éponine, if you're up there, I hope you're okay. I'm in America right now! It's big and lonely. Father isn't much company and I think he has a plan. I miss you._

The next day, around early afternoon they arrived in Boston. Thénardier took Azelma over to find a dame school for her.

There was a strict old woman who ran a dame school in the main square. Her name was Mrs. Edwards and she had a rather big home for boarding. Thénardier went with a meeting for her.

"So, your daughter needs education?" Mrs. Edwards asked.

Thénardier nodded, "She has the basics down, but I would like her to know English."

"For an extra fee, she will be taught more subjects," Mrs. Edwards said. "I also take food and alcohol for tuition."

Thénardier knew that Azelma would come in handy with his grand scheme, so he wanted her as educated as possible, "Alright then."

"Thank you, Gulnare can report tomorrow morning," Mrs. Edwards said.

Azelma had nothing to bring to the school, so she just went around pick pocketing people off the streets.

"_I don't want to go to school!" Azelma said._

_Éponine sighed, "We have to Zelma, come on! We're going to be late!"_

_Azelma glanced back to where Cosette was scrubbing the floor. Cosette looked up and Azelma quickly turned away, "she's not coming, is she?"_

"_Of course not, only proper children get taught," Éponine said, her head held high. She and Azelma marched off to school._

The four main classes in the school were reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion. The girls in the school would also learn sewing and embroidery. The students were wealthy enough to take the privilege classes: English, French, music, and dancing.

There were many other students in the dame school, and some were boys.

Mary was around 16. She had long blonde hair that was usually up in braids. She came from a family of farmers. She had pale skin and bright blue eyes. She was incredible clumsy, and always had cuts and bruises all over herself.

Hannah was 17. She had brown hair that curled almost perfectly. She was engaged to be married soon, and her husband wanted her educated. She had warm brown eyes and a kind smile.

Bridget was young, only 13. She and her family had come from Ireland. She had bright red hair, freckles, and green eyes. She was very energetic and couldn't stop talking.

Amelia was the youngest at ten years old. She had brown hair that curled around her eyes and big hazel eyes. Her father worked in a factory, and her mother had passed away two years ago.

Susan was 15 and had black hair that looked brown in the sunlight. She was tall, thin, and graceful, and caught many male eyes in the street.

John had brown hair and brown eyes. He came from a rich family, but he was one of the younger sons, so his family didn't know what to do with him. He was 17 years old and looked out for his three younger siblings, as his older siblings had down for him.

William was 16 and had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was Mary's twin, and they both hung around each other. He was the more cautious of the two.

Benjamin was 12 and was always trying to be one of the bigger kids. He had light brown hair and blue eyes and freckles.

Daniel was 14 and was born deaf. Mrs. Edwards took him in anyway and gave him special lessons to help him learn. She also taught some of the older kids sign language so they could communicate with him.


	6. Letter

Azelma started off in school with a rocky start. She knew no English, so there was a rather large language barrier between them. Mrs. Edwards had to give Azelma extra classes in English. Azelma was surprisingly good at arithmetic, and Mrs. Edwards said it was a natural talent. Of course, Azelma was awful at sewing and embroidery. Éponine was rather good at it, and had told Azelma to just be patient. So, Azelma practiced and practiced. Her work was passable, which was all she wanted. Azelma loved music and dancing. When she was little, the inn was filled with cheerful and jolly people. All the students paired up for the dancing: Benjamin and Amelia, Daniel danced with Susan and Bridget, William and Azelma danced, and John danced with Mary and Hannah. As autumn came and the weather got colder, the group of students got closer.

At the beginning, because of miscommunication and misinterpretation, Azelma thought everyone at the school didn't like her. She also reacted negatively to the name Gulnare, since she thought it was horrendous.

Mary used the name Gulnare once and Azelma flinched, "Je ne m'appelle Gulnare! Je m'appelle Azelma!" **(My name is not Gulnare! It's Azelma!) **Which Mary didn't understand at all, so she just ran away.

When winter came, Azelma knew enough English to communicate a little with her classmates. John sat next to her when they were eating lunch and was telling her a story about going fishing with his grandfather. Azelma could only catch a word or two, but she liked listening to them speak. They had funny accents, although Hannah said she was the one with the accent.

"So, Gulnare—" Azelma made a noise and John stopped talking. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I do not like the name," Azelma said.

John nodded, "Well, we can make a nickname for you. Let's see…Gulnare…Gully...no…Gulnare Guerrette…GG…Gigi! We'll call you Gigi!"

Azelma laughed, since Gigi, her nickname, meant nickname. "Merci John," she said.

"That means thank you right?" John asked and Azelma nodded.

John told everyone to call her Gigi now, which Azelma liked.

XXX

Mrs. Edwards wanted them to write a letter to someone, to practice their English. Azelma had no idea who to send hers to. She knew no one in America, except for her Father, which it would be pointless to mail a letter to him.

What about France?" Mrs. Edwards had said, "Surely you have some friends in France."

Azelma frowned and thought. She knew the Patron-Minette would be useless, none of them wanted a letter from a little girl, and none of them had permanent addressed. However, an idea came to her. Slowly, she started drafting a letter.

_Dear Monsieur le Baron Marius Pontmercy and Madame la Baronne Cosette Pontmercy,_

_Bonjour! I do not think you remember me, but I am Azelma Thénardier. You remember my father, no one forgets him. America is good. I am not writing for money, only for information. I want to know about the deaths of my siblings: Éponine and Gavroche. They were on the barricade, right? I remember Gavroche fighting during 1830, so he must have fought on the barricade. There were no survivors, only you, so he died. Éponine left too and never came back. She would have come back to see me, I am positive of it. I was very close to Éponine during our childhood. When we grew up, she had secrets. I am curious about her friendship with you. _

_Did you know that America had a revolution right before France? My teacher, Madame Edwards, talked about how it ended 1783. Our revolution started 1789. I was never educated about that, so I am keen on this knowledge. And who Thomas Jefferson is, since we talked about him. America is very large and growing. My schoolmate, Daniel, says his father talks about "Manifest Destiny." "Manifest Destiny" is touching sea to sea. Do you think America can achieve that? _

_I do miss France. I lived there and I understood it. America is confusing. But, America has opportunities for us. That is good, right? I will not bother you again after this letter, sorry._

_If you reply, write Gulnare Guerrette instead of Azelma Thénardier please. I go by Gigi though, a good nickname._

_Cordialement,_

_Azelma Thénardier_

Azelma wrote the address on the outside and handed it in. "It might take a while for the response," Mrs. Edwards told her. Azelma nodded and sat next to Hannah.

"I'm awful at French!" Hannah said, twisting her pigtail.

Azelma shrugged, "I am bad at English."

"You're getting better at it though," Hannah said.

Azelma laughed and shook her head. She really only understood a word or two coming out of Hannah's mouth. But she was learning, and felt like a part of the group more and more each day.


	7. Moving on

Spring came and Azelma became close friends with her classmates. A little voice in the back of her head reminded her that her father will probably move her far away, and she will never see them again. Still, she had a good deal of fun times and felt smarter already.

It was nearing summer and school was ending. Thénardier had finally decided his course of action.

"We're moving to the south," Thénardier announced.

Azelma nodded, a little curious, "How far?"

"Well, we should be in the South below Virginia," Thénardier said.

Azelma, who had seen a map, gasped, "That's across the country!"

"Silence!" Thénardier sneered. "There's a slave trade business down there, a profitable profession."

Azelma nodded.

On her last day of school, she said goodbye to her friends.

"Where are you going?" Amelia asked.

"Down south," Azelma said.

Mary and Hannah hugged her, "We'll miss you, Gigi."

"I'll miss you guys too," Azelma said. The boys came over and said goodbye to her as well.

"We got you a flower," John said. Azelma smiled and took it, "_Merci._"

Azelma went over to talk to Mrs. Edwards about the reply to her letter.

"It never came back," Azelma said.

"I know. I'll send it the south when it comes," Mrs. Edwards said. "_Au revoir_, Gulnare, it's been a pleasure teaching you."

XXX

A few months later

Thénardier and Azelma were in a tavern down in Virginia. Thénardier was drinking something and Azelma was humming along to the live music. A messenger boy walked over to him.

"Excuse me, are you Mister Guerrette?"

"Yeah," Thénardier slurred, drunk.

The boy was drawing out a letter when Azelma noticed him.

"I can get that," she said, holding out her hands. The boy smiled and gave the letter to her, "Bye!" he said, cheerfully. Azelma gave him a coin and he left.

Azelma slipped the letter into her bodice and waited until Thénardier finally decided to go home. They both went back to their small house.

It didn't take long for Thénardier to fall asleep. When he did, Azelma carefully lit a candle and began reading the letter. On the outside, it was addressed to Gulnare Guerrette.

_Dear Mademoiselle Azelma Thénardier,_

_My wife and I are happy to see you making progress in America. You have a lot of potential, if you go to the right people. It is with a heavy heart that I tell you of the death of your siblings._

_I came to the barricades later in the day of June 5__th__. When I got there, the National Guard almost overtook them. I made my way to the barrels of powder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rifle poking at me, about to shot. A hand had reached out and grabbed it, going almost unnoticed. I got a barrel of powder and a torch, and threatened the blow up the barricade. The National Guard backed away and the barricade had been saved, albeit temporarily._

_I was inspecting the barricade when I heard a voice call my name. Recognizing the voice, I searched until I found your sister, Éponine, lying on the ground, bleeding. She was dying, and I could only help by staying with her in the last moments of her life. She told me she had grabbed the rifle that was aimed at me. The bullet had gone through her hand and chest. She was the one who had brought me to the barricades, to my friends' aide. She also had a letter for me. We heard Gavroche singing, and Éponine told me that he was your sibling. As she started to fade, she asked for a kiss on the forehead, which I granted._

_It had rained earlier, damaging the gun powder. We needed more ammo in order to fight. Gavroche had heard us talking, and left the barricades to collect some. He went from body to body, collecting things. Eventually, the soldiers caught sight of him and began firing. One shot him and he fell. My comrade Combeferre and I rushed to his aide, to find him dead. I carried the body back to the barricade and we set it with Éponine's._

_Éponine has helped me out in the years leading up the barricades. She helped deliver messages to and from my Cosette and she has delivered me to my friends. She was a resourceful girl with unfortunate circumstances. A poor child, wilting away in the darkness. I am glad to have brought some happiness into her life._

_Yes, the Americans did have a revolution. Perhaps that's the reason that inspired us so much. We saw the Americans rise up against Great Britain, and we wanted to rise up too. Of course, we haven't achieved the state of independence like America, but France is close. More and more revolts are happening, and soon the whole of France will rise up in a bright and glorious revolution. _

_Thomas Jefferson was a Minister to France in the years 1784-1789. He was a great inspiration to the French, as he helped form America. I am not sure of all the details, but it interesting to see the strands of revolution combined throughout the world._

_America will have great opportunities for you. An opportunity to grow up, to live, to experience all that you can. We hope to see a good person in you in the future._

_Cosette wishes me to tell you that Gigi sounds like a beautiful name. Her real name is Euphrasie, and she understands what it was like having an ugly name._

_Cordialmente,_

_Monsieur le Baron Marius Pontmercy and Madame la Baronne Cosette Pontmercy_


End file.
